Jordan Panorama (8 days - 7 nights)

Amman, Petra, Dead Sea, Umm Qais, Jerash, Ajloun, Karak, Dana, Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Madaba, Nebo

“Explore Petra and the most spectacular sights of Jordan in one week.”

This tour highlights the rich cultural heritage and stunning landscapes of Jordan. The journey takes in the fantastically preserved classical city of Jerash, the biblical site of Mount Nebo, and Petra, the rock city lost to the world for a millennium and recently classified as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The shifting sands of Wadi Rum and the curative waters of the Dead Sea complete your exploration of this country.

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1 -  Meeting and assistance by our staff at Queen Alia International Airport. Transport to hotel in Amman. Overnight at hotel in Amman.

Day 2 - Umm Qais - Jerash - Ajloun

Morning departure to visit to umm Qais (Ancient Gadara), one of the most brilliant of Greco-roman cities was built mainly out of black basalt. Here you can enjoy the impressive view over Lake Tiberias and the Golan Heights. Later head toward the city of Jerash that has been covered by sand for centuries, the main reason why it is still so well-preserved, you will enter Jerash through the monumental South Gate and find yourself wandering around in a Roman city.

You will walk in the Oval Plaza surrounded by colonnades, visit the Roman theatre and Byzantine churches with mosaic-covered floors. Enjoy a stroll along Jerash' main road the Cardo and pass by the Nymphaeum.

You may experience the marvellous acoustics of the theatre, the stage of the Jerash music festival which takes place every year. And see for yourself how the Romans built the earthquake-proof columns of the colonnaded streets. Proceed towards Ajloun to tour the 12th century Saracen castle built by one of Saladin's lieutenants in the campaign against the crusaders. Return to hotel in Amman for overnight.

Things to consider while in Jerash: The Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE), Jerash

The monumental hippodrome at the ancient city of Jerash in Jordan is, for the first time in over a thousand years, hosting a spectator event – authentic replica Roman

chariots racing in the Roman circus at Jerash.

...LIVE THE EXPERIENCE

Show Detail:

TWICE DAILY SHOWS

WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY AT 11AM AND 2PM

FRIDAY ONE SHOW ONLY AT 10AM

The performance lasts approximately 45 minutes.

Day 3 - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Bethany (Baptism site) –  Dead Sea

Drive southwards visiting Madaba Saint George’s church which i famous for the unique mosaic map of the Holy Land, which can be found in the church floor. Proceed to mt. Nebo, the place where Moses looked over the Holy Land and the Dead Sea. That is the place where Moses was seen for the last time, therefore we consider this place as burial place for Moses. You can visit here the memorial church of Moses. If the sky is clear Jerusalem, Jericho and Bethlehem will meet your eye at the other side of the Dead Sea.

Afterwards Drive to the site of john the Baptist's settlement at Bethany beyond the Jordan, through the lowest point on earth the dead sea and see where Jesus was baptized, back to the dead sea is one of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes on earth. It lies on the western frontier of Jordan and is well-known to be the lowest spot on earth, 400 meters below sea level. The unusually salty and mineral rich water, the rich black mud along the shoreline, the thermal mineral springs are healing both for your body and your soul. They have attracted kings, emperors, traders and prophets since antiquity. Drive back to hotel  O/N Amman.

Day 4 - The Kings Highway - Karak - Dana Village - O/N Petra

After breakfast, via the king's highway which without doubt one of the most ancient routes in mankind history, the King's Highway winds its way through the different ecological zones of the country, including forested highlands, open farmland plateaus, deep ravines, as you progress to the south is the massive Crusader fortress at Kerak, built in 1136 and retaken by the Arab forces of Salahuddin Al-Ayyoubi.

Drive to Dana the Dana Village area, overlooking the scenic Wadi Dana, has been occupied since about 4000 BC. Dana is Jordan’s largest nature reserve, covering some 320 square kilometers of spectacular mountains and wadis along the face of the Great Rift Valley. From scorching sand dunes in the west to cool mountain tops in the east, the Dana Biosphere Reserve is home to a great variety of wildlife. Drive to Petra for overnight.

Day 5 – Petra - Full Day

Petra no visit of Jordan will be complete without having seen the capital of the ancient Nabatean kingdom, Petra. The long-lost city of Petra, carved entirely by man into the rose-red sandstone rocks, puts your imagination to the test. It's a mystic and glorious place, an eternal tribute to a lost civilization. Petra was the central meeting point of the Nabatean spice routes which originated from the Persian Gulf, Western Arabia and the Red Sea. About two thousand years ago Petra became the capital of the Nabatean Empire.

The city was so renowned that one of its kings, Aretas IV, is even mentioned in the Bible. The natural richness of the mountainous area combines in a superb way with the refined culture and massive architecture of the Nabateans, who carved their theatre, temples, façades, tombs, monasteries, houses and roads entirely into the rose-red sandstone rocks. No wonder UNESCO placed Petra on its World Heritage List.

One enters Petra by passing the Siq, a deep and narrow gorge, at the end of which all of a sudden dramatically appears the most famous monument in Petra: al-Khazneh or the Treasury. Maybe you will recognize it as the stage of the final sequence of the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. But the Treasury is just the start. Walking and climbing in Petra hundreds of buildings carved in stone and eroded through the centuries into fabulous multi-coloured walls will be revealed to you.

Things to consider while in Petra:

Petra By Night

A glorious way to spend the evening is to head back to Petra after sunset and take it all in under the night time desert stars. Actually most of the site is closed, but you can buy a ticket that permits you to walk back through the ‘Siq’ (the scenic canyon corridor that leads down to the site) and re-visit the treasury by night.

The entire route is lined with candles, and participants are strictly told to remain silent throughout the experience. On arrival at the treasury, you’ll greeted by Bedouin music and tea, and be invited hang out until you feel motivated enough to leave. It’s very atmospheric but can seem a little gimmicky on those busier nights during peak season.

‘Petra By Night’ runs three times a week,  Ticket: 12 JDs

Tours start at 8.30pm and finish at 10.00pm every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Turkish Bath

A favourite way to unwind after a tough day trekking around the ruins is to head to one of the town’s Turkish Ottoman baths. Similar to those found in other parts of the Middle East, the Jordanians offer a slightly more gentle version of the often quite brutal massages famously dished out in Turkey. On arrival you’ll be asked to strip off (to whatever level you’re most comfortable. Usually a swim suite/trunks) and head to the steam room. After you’re feeling suitably warm and relaxed you’ll be summoned to another cooler room for a wash and scrub. Finally, and most rewardingly of all you’ll find yourself laid out on a stone slab while expert masseurs get to work on those tired muscles.

Price: 20 JDs for the full works.

Day 6 – Wadi Rum - Full Day

Visit to Wadi Rum is a journey to another world, a silent and timeless place where you will be dwarfed to insignificance. 'Vast, echoing and Godlike', that's how Lawrence of Arabia described. The uniquely shaped massive mountains rise out of the rose-red desert sand. This desert is the home for the local Bedouin tribes.

Camel trek through the massive desert, desert excursions by 4x4 in its moon-like landscape, Overnight in a Bedouin camp

Day 7 - Aqaba - Free Time - O/N Amman

Aqaba lies at the Red sea. Jordan's only port is the place to be. The waters of the Red Sea are crystal clear and have an abundant marine life. Aqaba offers a wide variety of opportunities to explore this amazing underwater world, such as scuba diving and snorkelling. The Red Sea is home to more than 140 species of coral and countless species of brightly coloured fish.

And if you are lucky you may also experience close encounters with friendly sea animals like turtles and dolphins.  The weather near the Gulf of Aqaba is splendid all year around. Even in the midst of winter the temperature hovers steadily around 20ºC. The water temperature averages from 22.5ºC in winter to 26ºC in summer.

Things to do:

• Snorkeling and Diving
• Cruise in Glass Boat , watch the corals reefs, Red Sea fishes.

Day 8 - Departure

Breakfast. Transfer to Queen Alia International Airport, and assistance with departure formalities.

Have a late flight back home, then consider this : Amman City Tour *

Visit Amman's downtown market and city center, its traditional souks, coffee shops, restaurants selling local food and sweets, churches and mosques amongst other popular places.

Amman is also the ancient city of Philadelphia with its Roman theater and many other monuments that can be visited like the Citadel. Then drive to the other side of the city where you can see the beautiful houses made of white stones of the higher class in Abdoun.

You will see the pubs, international restaurants, and discotheques as you become familiar with the contrast in infrastructure and life style from the old and traditional, to the new and modern.

*. Depends on Departure time